In cellular telecommunications networks, user equipments (UEs) can sometimes go into “compressed mode.” Compressed mode refers to a mode in which a UE and the base station to which the UE is communicating schedules brief time gaps in downlink and uplink transmissions. The purpose of these scheduled time gaps is to allow a UE to perform measurements on neighboring cells of a different frequency than its current serving cell. The UE can perform measurements on neighboring GSM, W-CDMA, or E-UTRAN cells. After the gap in the downlink and uplink transmissions is over, transmission and reception resumes.
Various methods can be used to make sure that data is not lost during these scheduled time gaps. Some UEs and base stations can use secondary scrambling codes to transmit data using an alternate channel while also performing measurements on neighboring cells. Some UEs and base stations can also use schedule data transmissions such that no data needs to be transmitted during a scheduled time gap. However, many UEs use a SF/2 method to enter compressed mode in which uplink and downlink data is “compressed” immediately before and after the scheduled time gap. Under the SF/2 method, this compression can be achieved by increasing the power level at which transmissions are transmitted. Increasing the power level of transmissions, however, can cause increased interference for UEs within the same cell or in neighboring cells.